Strangely Familiar

“Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world right in the eye.” – Helen Keller

Samraat managed to subdue his mounting anger. He did not understand the reaction of either of the girls. Someone rightly said, ‘Women are difficult.’ Marching aimlessly, mentally counting his steps, a hand suddenly gripped his elbow pulling him aside.

Tripping on his leg caused him to stumble. He managed to balance himself throwing a questioning look at the intruder.

The person under question shushed and signaled him to look at the path rendering through the garden. Fixing his gaze in the mentioned direction, he strained his eyes under faint moonlight to capture a silhouette of someone against the tree.

Without further ado, the pair followed the person cautiously. The rustling sound of leaves defeated the sound of their worn out shoes.

“Let me in.”

They heard the faintest voice followed by something inaudible and discreetly alien - a hand movement that their respective sight couldn’t identify. Blame it on the light, things around them were blurred. Much to the surprise of the two people hiding behind the tree trunk, the door opened letting the visitor in.

Tia was the first to break the silence.

“I thought you said the door only lures its victim inside.”

“That’s what I thought,” Samraat whispered, tiptoeing over her slouched form.

The person entered inside without any hesitation with the door closing behind blocking their view.

“That was Ayaan.”

“Serious accusation, Sam.” Tia straightens up to match his tone.

“Who else do you think it could be?” He asked curiously.

“An outsider, maybe someone we don’t know.” Tia tried to negotiate, her voice faltering with every word.

“No one saw him since morning.” He argued.

“He doesn’t even believe in any of this.” Tia raised her voice to defend her friend.

“The easiest ones to lure are those who live in doubt.” Samraat explained logically, “All he has been hearing since day one is that something creepy and supernatural is happening inside the mansion. So, naturally, to prove us all wrong, he went to find the truth all by himself. It all fits.”

He looked at her in anticipation hoping his explanation was conducive.

Tia bit her lips unable to find a counter logic.

“Let’s say for the sake of argument that you are right. What now?”

Samraat let his sight travel to the closed gate once again, thinking deeply. If it were a game, he would have come up with an effective strike. Moreover, there are always cheat codes. He tried to think like his opponent.

“You can only defeat your opponent once you get your hands on their playbook. We need to find out everything about him. Every. Single. Thing.” He spoke confidently.

Naina was walking down the familiar stairs, one hand gripping the railing while the other rubbing her forehead in an attempt to soothe the throbbing pain. Her eyes were tired and heavy like she didn’t get a wink of sleep all night. A yawn escaped her lips as she reached the last step, and sat down, her head resting against the railing.

She was feeling weary and lethargic. She pretty much felt that all the time.

The rational part of her brain forced her to go back up but she simply couldn’t comply. It was already morning. Straining her eyes open, she looked around and sighed audibly.

Not again.

According to Naina Patil, she somehow managed to reach inside the west wing of the Mansion if the inside similarities were any clue, only this time all alone. Taking it an opportunity, she got up and peeked around all the while concealing herself from any sudden attack. The place was surprisingly clean, cleaner than the wing she stayed in.

Magic must make things easier. She pondered.

Walking aimlessly with no idea of how she arrived in the first place, she made a mental note to figure out the source of her mystery. The wing’s entrance caught her eyes as she quickly marched straight towards it. Perhaps, she can open it from the inside. Her fingers reached to grip the handle when they suddenly stopped on their own.

Naina clenched her fist, and pulled her hands back, her eyes concentrating hard. She was in deep thought.

It couldn’t be that easy.

The absence of a certain dead-alive owner was undoubtedly a question of concern. She could think of one possibility. Maybe he was watching her escape attempts for some twisted pleasure. But she wanted to get out desperately and her desperation further led to aggravation.

“Hello, Mr. ?” She did not know what to say. Dead-alive owner, self-proclaimed creator, psychopathic monster, devil, or murderer. Shaking her head, she rested to just hello.

“Are you seriously gonna play hide and seek?” Her voice echoed around the hall.

Usually, she would have preferred to be left alone if she was in her wing around her people for a very simple reason. Her freedom wasn’t restricted.

It was only when Naina thought the portrait has left them for good that she found people disappearing for no reason. Her parents disappeared for no reason. Maybe they were here somewhere.

With slight hope in her otherwise defeating thoughts, her legs rushed her to stop by every door of the wing. She tried it open and open it did. But the rooms were vacant. Not a single piece of furniture acquired the space. You would assume no one lives here and you would not be wrong.

She roamed around the wing helplessly.

“If this is another trick of yours to kill me, it is very effective. I’ll give you that.”

The voice traveled back to her ear. There was no gloominess in the atmosphere. She wanted to feel scared and worried if only to justify her feelings for the situation she was in. Her parents were lost, probably somewhere here. She should feel bad about them but the aroma wouldn’t let her.

It was plain comforting warmth that caressed her skin smoothly as she subconsciously rubbed against the feeling crawling up inside her. It was so cozy that she could stand another millennium locked up with no one around. The fact that the mere thought didn’t terrify her as it should, disturbed her to no end.

“Hello?” She yelled this time, her voice shriller than usual. “If you intend for me to stay then I could use some company.”

“I thought you don’t like the company of... what was it? Monster? Murderer?” The voice loomed in around her. She spun on her heels to find its source but nothing caught her sight.

“Why am I here again?”

“Exactly, why are you here?” He materialized in front of her, as soon as she turned her head and stumbled back at the proximity.

“What are you talking about? You brought me here.” Naina frowned, slightly displeased at his power to take her off guard.

He momentarily closed his eyes tensing his forehead as if he was trying to concentrate on something. Turning around in a flash, he transported himself to the same peculiar chair that she saw before.

“Tea?” He asked, this time gesturing for her to sit across from him.

Unclenching her jaws, she decided to entertain him considering she had no clue as to what was going on and this could be her only chance to get some answers.

“Is it poisoned?”

“There is only one way to find out.” His eyes narrowed cunningly, while he offered her a cup.

Had it been any other circumstances, she would have panicked, acted impulsively, and made a run for her life by now. But Naina surprised herself by how calmly she was dealing with it.

“Indeed.” She spoke with confidence. “You can try.”

Without an ounce of fear, she placed the cup in front of him, silently defying him.

Shaurya Lomhani laughed. He knew she was scared and yet marveled over how effectively she managed to wrap it up in pretense.

“It’s not poisoned.” He said after sipping her tea and placing it back in front of her.

Naina should have felt abhorred. She was practically commanding her mind to feel disgusted but only looked back at him neutrally. No matter how hard she tried she couldn’t bring herself to grow angry or upset. It’s like her mind conveniently forgot the existence of the two said emotions.

“Did you do something?” She asked, her voice latched with confidence, “to me?”

He closed his eyes to relish the flavor. “I don’t know what you are referring to?”

“I should feel scared.” She raised her voice a little, “of you. I don’t. I feel...”

Relaxed? Belonged? Wanted?

She stopped mid-way unable to comprehend her feelings. The thoughts alone were treacherous. It was a dangerous territory.

“Yes?” He asked, his interest piqued.

“Where are my parents?” She asked, collecting all her energy to feign anger.

Act worried. Act worried. Her mind kept on chanting.

“Knowledge always-”

“Comes at a price.” She completed the sentence for him. Against her sense of better judgment, she added. “Name it.”

Shaurya leaned against his chair with an amused gleam in his eyes. Naina could sense the calculations he was making, her confidence slipping radically as she processed her offer again. She practically bargained to his benefit but what other choice does she have against an Immortal? It’s not like she can hurt him.

“Somehow, I doubt you can pay it.” He said after minutes of pondering.

Like one dozes off laying head on a comfy pillow, Naina felt a strange sensation causing her sweet shivers. Being in the company of someone evil shouldn’t feel this pleasurable. She clenched her fist to fight off the stirring feeling but more than her body, it was her mind that was reacting to it finding its place of solace.

Shaking her head, she tried to get her thoughts together assiduously. “I don’t suppose you need money and I haven’t any magic. Leave my family alone and I promise we’ll never come back, nor speak about you ever again.”

Shaurya hummed disinterestedly. “Do you think I’ll agree to this?”

“No.” She said without an ounce of fear. “Doesn’t mean I couldn’t try.”

He gave her a lip-sided grin tilting his head and angling his face to a certain degree. “What do you want? Name your terms and I shall name the price.”

Precisely? To kill you. Naina thought humourlessly but there were more pressing matters.

“Where are my parents? Are they-?”

“They are alive.” He said indifferently, waving it off as if mentally displeased at the current scenario.

She sighed. “Why are you doing this?”

“Is that all you want to know?”

She stopped thinking for a moment and studied him. She must play safe if she wished to gain anything out of the arrangement but her lack of knowledge of the current context only induced her indecisiveness. If only her mother didn’t hide things from her, things would have been different.

“I want to know everything.” She whispered the next few words.

He arched an eyebrow perfectly, his eyes flashing a combination of red and black. Swiftly, he rose his chair and held out his hand for her. She eyed him suspiciously.

“The place we are about to go is beyond your reach.” He pointed at his hand again gesturing for her to take it.

She pursed her lips, contemplating for a while before letting go entirely. No sooner her hand touched his than she was taken into a hurricane of strong feelings whirling around leaving her in a mess. Gasping hard, still clutching his hand in a tight grip, she squatted down on the floor.

“What was that?” She spoke in between her breaths.

“Transferring energies between two points without truly being across the physical space.” He explained. “In short, it was magic.”

“Hypothetically, it was teleporting.” Naina looked at him half-crazed. She does not expect him to know Science fiction. “What is this place?”

He moved across from her and towards a moving circle with spikes at its circumference. He did something over it that Naina could only guess as she lifted herself off the floor to stand on shaky legs. The surroundings left her awestruck.

Shaurya was wearing an expressionless mask. His next words took her by surprise. “This is where it all started.”

She whipped her head back at him. Unable to conceive the mere idea that he would delve her into something as precarious as his past. Naina knew better than to trust him.

“But before we get to any of that. I would like my payment.”

He stood directly in front of her, eyes gauging her reaction.

Her footsteps traced backward. At that moment, she was truly unsure of her idea. She weighed her options. What if he asks for her life? She doesn’t want to die and for the record, he did try to kill her once. Not to mention, in the last few days, their search to find evidence and records about him was a lost cause. No one alive knew anything. The information was crucial and she has no choice but to trust the man himself.

Nodding her head, she indicated to him to continue.

“What do you want?” Her breath hitched slightly at the thought of all the possible things he could ask of her.

“Your loyalty.”